All these lists are alphabetically organized, since my enjoyment of them ebbs and flows, and so that I don’t double up on any of them. I think that uncommon words are beautiful and that I should remember them from time to time. This list will be a continual work in progress as I find and remember words, so keep checking back on it.

Words

My favorite words based on meaning:

• Defenestrate
• Radical
• Shimmer
• Sonder

My favorite words based on sound:

• Acetaminophen
• Caramel
  • I like to pronounce this not in either of the usual ways, but so that it sounds like “camel”, or “cuh-ram-el”, purely to make people squint at me when I say it
• Crempuscular
  • The actual spelling of this one is “crepuscular”, but I like my sound better
• Mayonnaise
  • This is another word that I like to pronounce differently from time to time, as “may-o-nnaise”
• Obscurity
• Oxymoron
• Perpendicular
• Persnickety
• Preposterous
• Spelunk

Phrases

My favorite phrases:

• Decently recently
• Forsooth, indeed
  • Sometimes I use it the other way ’round – indeed, forsooth
• Placing emphasis on the incorrect syllable
  • As opposed to placing emphasis on the incorrect syllable
• The cleanest of beanest
  • Based on the phrase “clean bean” – I often use this one just after taking a shower
• To wit